About SpeedReadTest & Our Methodology
SpeedReadTest is a free, independent site for measuring how fast you read and how much you understand, with practice tools to help you improve. No paywall and no sign-up.
What makes our test different
Most online tests only measure words per minute (WPM), which rewards skimming. Our test also asks 4 questions about what you read and combines both into one score, Effective Reading Speed (ERS = WPM × % correct). Fast reading only counts if you understood it.
Fair Timing
The timer pauses if you switch tabs, questions change each time, and results that are too fast to be real reading aren't scored.
Practice Tools
A reading pacer, an over-speed drill, Schulte tables and more. Each tool page explains what research does and doesn't support.
Client-Side Text Privacy
Text you paste never leaves your device, and your results are stored only in your browser. The only thing sent to our server is a leaderboard entry, and only if you choose to submit one.
Meet Lexi, Your Reading Coach
Lexi is our friendly reading guide. Owls have long been a symbol of wisdom and sharp eyes, which fits the skills readers practice here:
Owls have remarkable eyes, but people don't. Lexi explains what your eyes can really do, and why claims about reading whole lines at once don't hold up.
Lexi offers guided pacing drills to help you keep a steady pace, and reminds you that looking back is fine when you need it.
No pseudoscience or skimming tricks. Lexi benchmarks your true Effective Reading Speed (ERS) with validated comprehension scoring.
Academic Research Foundations
The test and tools are based on these published studies. Our methodology page explains exactly how the test is scored.
- Brysbaert, M. (2019). "How many words do we read per minute? A review and meta-analysis of reading rate." Journal of Memory and Language. Established the modern silent reading median of 238 WPM for adult English non-fiction.
- Rayner, K., et al. (2016). "So Much to Read, So Little Time: How Do We Read, and Can Speed Reading Help?" Psychological Science in the Public Interest. A major review of how reading works and what speed reading can and can't do.
- Carver, R. P. (1990). "Reading Rate: A Review of Research and Theory." Academic Press. Treats reading efficiency as speed combined with accuracy, the idea behind our ERS score.
- Baddeley, A. D. (1974). "Working Memory." Psychology of Learning and Motivation. Described the “phonological loop”, the part of working memory linked to the inner reading voice.
Who Builds SpeedReadTest
SpeedReadTest is built and maintained by the SpeedReadTest team. We built it out of frustration with commercial speed-reading courses and hype-driven apps that claim readers can digest 25,000 WPM without rigorous retention verification.
How fast people can read with understanding has real limits, set by how our eyes and memory work. We want SpeedReadTest to be an honest place to measure and practice: free, without hype, and grounded in published research such as Marc Brysbaert’s reading-rate review and Keith Rayner’s eye-movement studies.
Here is what that means in practice, so you can judge the site for yourself:
- Nothing to sell. There are no ads, no accounts, no paid courses and no analytics. Every tool and the 30-day plan are free.
- Sources you can check. Averages and claims cite published research, listed on each page and in the methodology. Where the research says a technique doesn’t work, we say so, even for tools we offer.
- Dated reviews. Guides show when they were last updated, so you can see how current they are.
- Corrections welcome. If a figure or source looks wrong, tell us and we’ll check it against the research and fix it.